Valve-controlled nursing bottle nipple



Marh 10, 1959 H. w.-w|Tz 2,876,773

VALVE-CONTROLLED NURSI'NG BOTTLE NIPPLE Filed Oct. 30. 1957 INvENToR HENRY W. wwz

y: 02AM ATTYSC United VALVE-CONTROLLED NURSING BOTTLE NIPPLE Henry W. Witz, Barrington, 11]., assignor to Nursmatic Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application October 30, 1957, Serial N 693,434

Claims. (Cl. 128-252) feeds, exerting a biting or gumming action upon the nipple, the liquid in the nipple is more readily forced back into the bottle than through the small hole or holes in the tip. In order to receive the liquid, the baby must exert an excessive sucking action which results in the baby swallowing excessive amounts of air. Excessive air swallowing frequently causes areophagia, the basic cause of so-called colic.

Valves have heretofore been proposed for nipples to control the back flow of liquid, hereinbefore described, but valves heretofore proposed have been complicated, expensive, diflicult to clean in many instances, unreliable in operation.

The present invention contemplates a nipple valve for preventing and controlling the back flow of liquid, hereinbefore described, the valve being simple in construction and operation, removable and easy to clean and extremely reliable.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawing and following detailed description.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a conventional nursing bottle having a valved nipple embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the nipple compressed and the valve seated.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the valve member employed.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the valve member shown in Fig. 3, illustrating the communicating openings for connecting the bottle and the interior of the nipple.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 1 indicates a conventional babys nursing bottle, having a mouth 2, the external portion of which carries threads 3 formed integral with the glass bottle. A nipple 4 is removahly carried at the mouth of the bottle and may be constructed of conventional elastic, resilient material, such as, rubber, silicone rubber or the like. The base of the nipple carries a radial flange 5 which defines a relatively large opening 6 which affords communication between the interior 7 of the nipple and the interior of the bottle 1. The flange 5 is adapted to seat on the mouth 2 of the bottle and an internally threaded screw cap 8 of hard rubber, plastic or the like, functions to clamp the flange in liquid-tight position upon the bottle mouth.

The nipple 4 has a conventional bulbous tip 9 which is provided with one or more relatively small holes 10 tes atent through which the liquid within the nipple may be extracted by the infant. Adjacent the mouth 6, an inwardly extending annular flange 11 is carried and above said flange a relatively enlarged compartment 12 is provided in the nipple. As will be hereinafter more fully described, a valve 13 engages with flange 11 and a portion of the valve is carried in the compartment 12. A relatively small vent hole 11 extends through the flange 5 which opens into a relatively shallow groove 12' on the bottle-side of the flange. The vent prevents excessive vacuum from being established in the bottle as the liquid is removed therefrom.

1 Valve 13 is somewhat spool-shaped, having opposing flanges 14 and 15, the opposed surfaces of which merge into each other by respective conical surfaces which join at a neck portion 16. The flange 11 extends toward the neck portion 16, flange 14 being disposed in compartment 12 and flange 15 being disposed at the bottle entrance to the nipple. The valve 13 may be constructed of a light-weight material such as polyethylene or other type plastic, aluminum or a like material which can withstand sterilizing temperatures.

The valve 13 can be readily assembled and removed from the nipple by distorting the flange 11 and to facilitate the handling of the valve during mounting or removal thereof, the nipple may carry a knob 17 which projects from the flange 15.

As shown best in Figs. 3 and 4, the flange 15 is provided with a pair of peripheral notches 18, the function of which will be hereinafter more fully described. Although two such notches, diametrically disposed, are preferred, one or more notches is broadly contemplated.

In the operation of the device, with the bottle filled with milk or other liquid baby food, and with the nipple and valve positioned as described, the bottle will be tilted upwardly, somewhat as shown, during the normal feeding operation. In this position, initially as shown in Fig. 1, the valve 13 falls, by gravity and by the pressure of the liquid in the bottle, to a position where flange 15 of the valve rests upon flange 11 of the nipple and flange 14 of the valve is spaced from said flange. The notches 18 extend radially inwardly a greater distance than does flange 11 and, hence, liquid 19 flows from the bottle into the interior 7 of the nipple, thus filling the nipple.

During the feeding operation, the infants lips embrace the bulbous portion of the nipple and the natural biting action exerted on the nipple compresses the nipple. The liquid in the nipple is thus pressurized causing an inward movement of the valve 13 to take place. The valve thus moves to a position, shown in Fig. 2, wherein flange 14 seats upon flange 11. Inasmuch as flange 14 of the valve is unnotched the liquid in the nipple is prevented from returning to the bottle and the pressure exerted by the babys lips and gums causes the liquid confined in the nipple to be ejected through the holes 10.

The lip and gum activities of the infant are intermittent and each time he releases the pressure upon the nipple, the valve returns to the position shown in Fig. 1 wherein the nipple in substantially undistorted position is again filled with liquid. The distorted nipple, after pressure has been released therefrom, in returning to undistorted position, creates a vacuum in the nipple which assists gravity in again filling the nipple from the bottle. The compressing action is again repeated and this cycle persists during the entire feeding operation.

In view of the fact that no substantial sucking action is required by the infant excessive air swallowing is prevented. Further, since a positive liquid pressure is established in the nipple, clogging of the small holes 10 is prevented since the pressurized liquid forces through any particles that would normally clog the holes.

The surface portion of the flange 14 which faces the nipple is dished, as shown best at 14' in Figs. 1 and 2.

By so dishing said surface, the force of the liquid in the nipple, when the baby exerts biting pressure on the nipple tends to seat the flange 14 uniformly on the flange 11 of the nipple and canting of the valve in the nipple is prevented.

Another advantage of the present device resides in the fact that when the bottle is turned upright, the flange 14 seats very lightly on the flange 11, since it is now not subject to the internal biting pressure, and the residual liquid in the nipple flows back into the bottle or can be made to do so by a slight shaking of the bottle. Moreover some plastics have a lower specific gravity than the liquid baby food used and hence the valve tends to float all its seat. This is of extreme importance since during the warming of the liquid, if liquid were confined in the nipple and such liquid were tested for warmth, it would normally be cooler than the liquid in the bottle, and based on the temperature of the confined nipple-liquid a false test would result which might lead to serious consequences when the liquid in the bottle, which may be considerably warmer than the test liquid, is fed to the baby.

Since the basic structure of the conventional nipple is not materially altered the nipple can be readily cleaned and in view of the simplified structure of the valve, it also can be readily cleaned. In addition, the nipple with the valve in place may be readily sterilized as a unit.

Modifications of the present invention which do not depart from the spirit of the invention may readily occur to those skilled in the art and, hence, it is not intended that the present invention be limited to the exact details shown and described except as necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A valve-controlled nursing bottle nipple comprising a flexible, resilient nipple having a relatively small feeding opening at one end and an enlarged charging opening at the opposite end, said nipple being adapted to be carried on the mouth of a nursing bottle with its charging opening in communication with the interior of the bottle through said mouth, an annular flange carried by said nipple adjacent said charging opening and extending radially inwardly into said charging opening, a substantially spoolshaped valve having spaced annular flanges, the nipple flange extending between said spaced valve flanges with one valve flange facing the feeding opening, the opposite valve flange being provided with an opening disposed radially inwardly a greater distance than the inner edge of said nipple flange.

2. A valve-controlled nursing bottle nipple comprising a flexible, resilient nipple having a relatively small feeding opening at one end and an enlarged charging opening at the opposite end, said nipple being adapted to be carried on the mouth of a nursing bottle with its charging opening in communication with the interior of the bottle through said month, an annular flange carried by said nipple adjacent said charging opening and extending radially inwardly into said charging opening, said annular flange being integral with said nipple, a substantially spool-shaped valve having spaced annular flanges, the nipple flange extending between said spaced valve flanges with one valve flange facing the feeding opening, the

opposite valve flange being provided with a peripheral notch which extends radially inwardly a greater distance than does the nipple flange.

3. A valve-controlled nursing bottle nipple comprising a flexible, resilient nipple having a relatively small feeding opening at one end and an enlarged charging opening at the opposite end, said nipple being adapted to be carried on the mouth of a nursing bottle with its charging opening in communication with the interior of the bottle through said mouth, an annular flange carried by said nipple adjacent said charging opening and extending ra dially inwardly into said charging opening, said annular flange also being constructed of flexible, resilient material, a substantially spool-shaped valve having spaced annular flanges, the nipple flange being of lesser thickness than the space between said valve flanges and said nipple extending between said spaced valve flanges whereby said valve has limited movement relative to said nipple flange, one of said valve flanges facing the feeding opening, the opposite valve flange being provided with a peripheral notch which extends radially inwardly a greater distance than does the nipple flange.

4. A valve-controlled nursing bottle nipple comprising a flexible, resilient nipple having a bulbous end portion and relatively small feeding opening in said end portion and an enlarged charging opening communicating with the interior of the nipple at the opposite end, said nipple being adapted to be carried in sealed position on the mouth of a nursing bottle with its charging opening in communication with the interior of the bottle through said mouth, an annular flange carried by said nipple adjacent said charging opening and extending radially inwardly into said charging opening, a substantially spoolshaped valve having spaced annular flanges, the nipple flange extending between said spaced valve flanges in interdigitating relationship therewith with one valve flange facing the feeding opening, the opposite valve flange being provided with a plurality of peripheral notches each of which extend radially inwardly a greater distance than does the nipple flange.

5. A valve-controlling nursing bottle nipple comprising a flexible, resilient nipple having a relatively small feeding opening at one end and an enlarged charging opening at the opposite end, said nipple being adapted to be carried on the mouth of a nursing bottle with its charging opening in communication with the interior of the bottle through said mouth, an annular flange carried by said nipple adjacent said charging opening and extending radially inwardly into said charging opening, a substantially spool-shaped valve having spaced annular flanges, the nipple flange extending between said spaced valve flanges in interdigitating relationship therewith, one of said valve flanges facing the feeding opening, the opposite valve flange being adapted to face the interior of the bottle and being provided with a peripheral notch which extends radially inwardly a greater distance than does the nipple flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,623,524 Clemens Dec. 30, 1952 

